The Centrality of Blue Economy Resources in the Kenya-Somalia Maritime Border Dispute

Abstract

This study examined the centrality of blue economy resources in the Kenya-Somalia maritime border dispute. The study begins by conceptualising blue economy resources and then maps the blue economy resource deposits along the disputed zone. The third section analyses the primary blue economy resources driving the Kenya-Somalia Maritime Border Dispute. In the fourth section, this study analyses the interest of local actors in the Kenya-Somalia Maritime Border Dispute. Eventually, the study concludes by evaluating the role of geopolitical actors in the Kenya-Somalia Maritime dispute. The study was qualitative and made use of interviews to collect descriptive data. The target population consisted of government officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, government representatives, and personnel from international and regional development organisations. Both purposive and snowballing sampling techniques were employed to identify informants. This study observed that blue economy resources in the Indian Ocean have become an increasing interest among the two states. The discovery of hydrocarbon deposits and the prospects of commercialising deep-sea fishing and other mineral deposits in the region have seen increased national interest from both parties. Thus, Kenya and Somalia have expressed interest in exploring and exploiting the resources in the disputed maritime zone for economic reasons, perpetuating the dispute between them. The dispute has undermined good neighbourliness amid suspicion between the two states since 2014. Since the blue economy is considered a catalyst of economic growth, exploitation of the same has attracted both local and geopolitical actors who have been indirectly drawn into the dispute. This study recommends that Kenya and Somalia should work together and cooperate on the management of blue economy resources in the disputed resource-rich area, which will enable the states to share oil, gas, and hydrocarbon resources through cooperation ventures. Similarly, local and geopolitical actors remain non-partisan in the dispute.